Automobile-skid



L. L. TUFTS.

AUTOMOBILE SKID.

APPLICATION FILED IuNE 25, I92I.

1,389,400, I I Patelld Allg. 30, 1921.

` IIEET I.

2 SHEETS-s I N VEN TOR.

Y V V ATTORNEY.

L. L. TUFTS.

AUTOMOBILE SKID.

w V Y ATTORNEY.

Vily be put in place and UNITED STA PATENT 'O TES FFICE.

AUTOMOBILE-SKID.

'Y Application led .Tune 25,

To all whom tmag/ concern.'

Be it known that I, LEIGHTON L. TUFTs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Middleton, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile- Skids, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for eX- tricating motor vehicles when their wheels have sunk into mud, sand, snow, or other similar material.

The objects of my invention are to provide a skid or mud dog for the above purpose, which is light and can readily be carried y in an automobile.

`I am aware that various devices for this purpose have been tried, but experience shows that adevice which clings to the wheel and revolves with it is not satisfactory. It

Y is necessary to have a device which can readwhich the action of the wheel will cause to function.

Itis necessary that there should be a potentially large bearing surface, and that hard pan or hard ice should be reached without the device tipping over or collapsing.

My device is so constructed that the wheel of the motor vehicle, whether covered with a pneumatic tire or other material, will not slip lengthwise nor crosswise thereon and so that it will not itself slip nor get out of n place when usedin soft clay, snow, ice, grass, or other slippery or soft material.

y device 'Vin general consists of a rigid skeleton `skid which, preferably, is vprovided with a folding spade so positioned that it will dig into the ground until it either reaches hard pan, or else carries the soft material back under the wheel, thereby lifting ferred form Y automobile, with its spade folded. In

In the drawings, Figure l is a diagrammaticside elevation of an automobile having a running board under which my device is fastened. I

Fig. 2 is a plan view of my skid in its preshown as detached from the dotted lines is also indicated a slight modiication ofthe spade in a different position. Fig. 3 isa side elevation of the same skid shown in Fig. 2. It also shows in dotted lines the position of a spade in different positions when unfolded.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged end elevation from Specification of Letters Patent.

' wheels B and in length and width that A sunk only 27.` Ribs 24,

Patented Aug. 3o, 1921. 1921. serial Nvo. 480,488.

the right or top end of the skid' shown in l Figs. 2 and 3 with the spade unfolded.

Fig 5 is a view ysimilar to Fig. 4 of a slightly modified form of skid with a ent form of spade. I n

F igs.. 6, 7, 8 and 9 show diagrammatically the var1ous positions of an automobile wheel whlch ,has sunk in soft'material, with the different positions of my vskid when in use.

In the drawings, A represents or indicates the body of Lan automobile having' front p rear wheels C, together with front fenders 10 and rear `fenders 1l and a running board D between them, all of the usual construction. My skid F with its spade'AH folded, is

a strap vl2 at the anuarmlS and a pivoted clasp'14 locked together byi a padlock 15. .My skid/for pleasure vehicles is preferably'of such size it can be so board D as to strapped under the running helps to givestiffbe out of the way. It also Y ness Ito the running board'.

My preferred form of skid, as shown in Fig. 2, consists of parallel channeledmetal side bars 20, 20, rigidly connectedtogether by rigidcross bars 22, 22, ypreferably having channels 7 at the top and 8 atthe bottom.

The cross bar 22 at the end 9, which may be considered the bottom, preferably connects the eXtreme ends of the side bars 20,20. Y

Where the conditions are not very bad and where the wheel of an automobile has a little distance, cially with'the cross bars channeled at the top and bottom, will operate merelyby pushing the end 9 under the wheel which has sunk, the same as is frequently done by the Vuse of boards.

The top channels 7 ,give the wheel agrip which prevents it from slipping, and likewise( the channels 8 help to dig into the ground so as to give a good grip thereon.

I prefer, "however, to use in connection with my skid a spade member yindicated in Fig. 4 by H. This comprises side ribs 24,

24, pivoted by means of pivots 26, 26 which need not be particularly heavy or strong, to the side bars 20, 20, and the cross piece 24 are preferably pointed at their free ends 25, 25, and the cross piece my skid F, espeand also forces 27 is so positioned that when folded as shown in Fig. 3, it comes under the side bars 20, 20, and lwhen opened asvshown in Fig. 6, it limits the backward movement of spade H so that it preferably projects at a somewhat acute angle toward the bottom 9 of the skid.

The operation is and 9, wherein G 40 the n'ormal surface thereof. 41 represents the depression into which a rear wheel has sunk, and 42 represents the crest or nose of the incline up which itis desired to drive wheel C. i

Spade H is unfolded and the end 9 ol skid F is pushed under the wheel as far as it will go, while still beingunder the running board D.

As shown in Fig. 7 as wheel C begins to revolve, it grips the channels y7 in the top of the skid and'tends to suck it in. As it pulls it drives the ribs 24, 24 into the ground the cross piece 27 in the ground until all or either" of themV strike hard pan, hard ice or other resistingr material. Vhen this occurs, the skid stops, as shown in Fig. 7, and then, as shown in Fig. 8, the wheel C begins to rise thereon, travel ing on a relatively -irm platform.

In this process, the crest orlnose 42 is generally pulled down so that the incline 1s not as severe as it is where a wheel with or without a chain or mat, spins aroundin the dirt, cutting out a hole substantially of its own size.

As shown n Fig. 9, it' the groundvis soft,

the spade H is drawn back and carries with it the dirt, Jfrom the crest 42, leaving instead a channel 43, and this dirt is piled up at 44, and 45 underneath the wheel C, thus helping -to lift the lower end of the skid F and the wheel C so that the wheel C can readily move off on a comparatively smallV incline.

In some cases ent type of spade, as shownin Fig. 5, wherein the side ribs, represented by 34, 34, are connected throughout practically whole length down to their points 35, 35, by a cross piece in the Jform of a web 37, land are pivoted to the side bars 30, 80 `by pivots shown as 36, 36. This spade is indicated by K and it is shown as attached to a skid M having solid side bars 30, 30, and cross bars 31 having channels 32 at the top which may be rigidly attached tor the side bars.

The cross bars and sidebars maybe connected together by rivets such as 50 or they may be welded together in a well known manner, or some may be riveted and others welded, as shown in Fig. 2.

i As vshown in Figs. 3 and the cross piece 27 of spade F should be so shown in Figs. 6, 7, 8 represents the ground ,and

. positioned as to` limit the angle of the VVmade up of I may prefer to use a vdiii'ertheir Y and connected positioned that'when kspade H is unfolded it will strike one of the cross bars 22. such as 29, thus limiting the angle which it makes with side bars' 20. However, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a spade having ribs indicated in the dotted lines at 60 with the cross piece 61 may be used, so positioned that cross piece 61 can strike the bottom of the side bars 20, A2O thereby limiting the movement. In the same way the top edge 38 of web 37 of spade K, as shown in Fig. 5, may be so spade ,by striking a cross bar 31.

Itis obvious that the position of the spade with reference to the may be varied at pleasure.

I also prefer to make the ribs of the spade of such width and allow its cross piece, such as 27, to project only far enough so that the whole top surface and bottom surface of the skid when the spade is folded will be even, whereby it can be more` conveniently carriedunder the running board.

By channeling the side bars and providing' that they project above the cross bars, any tendency of the wheels to slip sidewise oii the skid is reduced or entirely obviated.

It is obvious that the skid can be pushed under the back of the driving wheel instead of under the front thereof if it isldesired.

I claim ,1. A portable skid for motor vehicles of a size to lit under the running board made up of rigid parallel channeled metal side bars and rigid metal cross bars channeled at the top and bottom extending crosswise of the side bars and rigidly lfixed thereto, and a spade member comprising pointed side ribs pivoted to and connected under the sidebars by a cross piece which limits the movement of said spade. Y

2. AV portable skid for motor vehicles rigid parallel channeled metal side bars and rigid metal cross bars channeled at the top and bottom extending crosswise of the side bars and rigidly fixed thereto, Vand a spade member comprising pointed side ribs'pivoted to and connected under the side bars by a cross piece which limits the movement of said spade.

3. A portable skid for motor vehicles made up of rigid parallel metal side bars and rigid metal cross bars channeled at `the top extending crosswise of the side bars and rigidly fixed thereto, and a spade'member comprisingpointed side ribs pivoted to under the side bars by a cross piece which limits the movement of said spade. f

' 4. A portable skid for motor vehiclesmade up of rigid parallel metal side bars and rigid metal cross bars extending cross- 4, I preferthat wise ofthe side bars and rigidly fixed thereto, and Aa spade member comprising length of the skid pointed side ribs pivoted to and connected under the side bars by a cross piece which limits the movement of said spade.

5. A portable skid for motor Vehicles made up of rigid parallel channeled metal side bars and rigid metal cross bars channeled at the top and bottom extending crosswise ofthe side bars and rigidly fixed thereto.

6. A portable skid for motor vehicles made up of rigid parallel metal side bars channeled at the top and rigid metal cross bars channeled at the top and bottom extending crosswise of the side bars, the upper faces of the cross bars being below the upper faces of the side bars and the lower faces of the cross bars extending below the lower faces of the side bars.

LEIGHTON L. TUFTS. 

